How One Guitar Opened Up The Word to Me…

Nothing good ever happens in Cincinnati. Okay, I realize that statement may seem overly dramatic, but when you compare it to cities like Nashville, Las Vegas and L.A., it’s hard to deny. Cincy is actually quite exciting if you are a sports fan. Heartbreaking and disappointing if you are a Bengals fan, but exciting none the  less. But if you are a music fan, it’s lack luster to say the least. Sure, we get concerts that come through town, but the bigger tours seem to always pass us by in favor of the larger markets. It is so disappointing missing out on major music events due to my current city. Well, it was anyway….

How a guitar (and a smart wife) changed it all

To begin with, I should state that I am a huge Stevie Ray Vaughan fan. One thing that will always bother me is the fact that I never got to see SRV and Double Trouble play live. In 2012 the Bullock Museum in Austin, Texas announced that Vaughan’s famous “Number One “ Fender Strat would be placed on display for the first time since his death. I remember telling my wife about it and how cool it would be to see. She said we should go and see it. I scoffed and clarified that the museum was in Austin…Texas. Not Cincinnati.  She replied that she was pretty sure airplanes flew to Austin, and you know what? She was right. Just like that, we made arrangements and we went and saw that guitar in person! But it did not stop there. We saw the Alamo in San Antonio! We ate alligator in New Orleans and saw Bruce Springsteen at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. It was an incredible trip and it was all thanks to that guitar (and a smart wife.)

You mean Florida isn’t the only destination??

Growing up, travel for us was loading up the car and making the 16 hour drive to Florida. Every year, for the first two weeks in July that’s where my family went. Now, please don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for those trips. It was those vacations that started the love that I have for the ocean and the beach. To give you an idea of my mindset, the first time Candy mentioned going to Hawaii I actually asked how much different Hawaii could be from Florida. I don’t think she could muster up a reply to that one. Now that I have been to Hawaii (twice) I get just how ridiculous that statement was. Florida is beautiful. We still enjoy trips to Fort Lauderdale and Key West, but after seeing the beaches of Waikiki and Maui, I know that they are two different places.

Since that trip to Texas and New Orleans, the world was opened up to me. Since that time we have gone to Hawaii twice. We have been to Vegas numerous times. We saw Graceland in Memphis. We have taken numerous cruises. We walked the ruins of Pompeii and halls of the Vatican. We stood outside the Coliseum in Rome and walked along the canals of Venice. All from saying how cool would it be to see Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar.

Travel is a mindset

So what’s the point of all of this? It’s to let you know the limitations that you are living with are largely ones that you created. If you think you will never see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you never will. If you think you will never dip your toes in the Pacific Ocean, you never will. If you think you…well, you get the point. It doesn’t need to be Paris or Hawaii…at least not at first. For me, it was a guitar. What is it for you? What is going to inspire you to take the plane ride? Where are you going to go? What are you going to see? Take it from me….it is possible. That is why we are here. Candy opened the world to me and showed me that we can see whatever we dream about. Of course it takes planning, and it takes responsible finances, but it is possible! Our hope is that through our adventures we can open the world to you and inspire you to take your own adventures.